Wind, Web, Telecom and Sanitation Workers Join AFL-CIO Unions
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Telecom workers, green industry wind power employees, sanitation workers—and, in a precedent setting win, website writers/producers—have recently joined AFL-CIO unions.
In Puerto Rico, 171 call center workers at AT&T Mobility won union representation with Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 3010 through majority sign-up. Under an agreement between AT&T and CWA, the company will remain neutral and will recognize the union once a majority of employees sign up. Meanwhile, in Ocean County, N.J., five employees of the Borough of Island Heights won representation by CWA Local 1088 also through majority sign-up.
A group of more than 130 workers at Trinity Structural Towers—Iowa’s leading manufacturer of wind towers—voted to join Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 347 in Des Moines.
Fox Admits It: Union Members’ Work Is ‘Awesome’
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Looks like we got the attention of Stuart Varney at Fox News. After we challenged as grossly false his assault on the ability of union workers to produce high-tech products, Fox this morning ran a list of the “awesome” things unions build.
The talking heads there then tried to backtrack on their attacks on union members, denying they said union workers were not highly skilled—but that they think that unions bog down corporations with too many rules.
Rules like safety and health to ensure workers stay safe—and alive—on the job. And getting paid for overtime. And then there’s the weekend….
Watch Fox backtrack here.
Thanks to the unions who sent us some of the other highly-skilled jobs their members perform every day, adding to the top-notch list the Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) originally helped us put together.
Netroots Nation: Freelance Workers of the World, Unite
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“Electronic sweatshops”—in which workers are expected to put in 16-hour days—are just one part of what independent professional workers endure today, and the union movement needs to create new models to reach out to this rapidly growing workforce. “Freelancers of the World, Unite!” an afternoon panel at the Netroots Nation conference, explored how media and other major corporations exploit “self-contracted” workers—and discussed how the union movement should reach out to these workers as they do among home health care workers, taxi workers and, most recently, domestic workers in New York.
Sponsored by the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), the panel included Joe Danisi, Joe Danisi, who explained that independent workers are subject to egregious terms set by employers because the standards in this part of the industry are so low–for example, no health care coverage and ridiculously long hours–and is currently non-union. However, unionized workers in this rest of the entertainment industry have won health care, pensions and workplace protection through wgae contracts. Danisi, has written, directed and produced dozens of non-fiction documentaries for television networks such as the History Channel, Discovery and A and E.
Netroots Nation 2010: Labor, Online Progressives and Union Beer
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Union activists are joining a couple thousand online progressives this week for the annual Netroots Nation conference. The July 22–25 event in Las Vegas brings political powerhouses like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) together with progressives from across the nation for workshops, panels and speaking events like the dynamic full-conference lunch session July 24 with AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka.
Along with Harvard legal professor Elizabeth Warren, Florida Democratic Rep. Alan Grayson and others, Trumka will take part in the panel, “Building a Progressive Economic Vision,” where he will focus on the key steps the nation needs to take to rebuild our nation’s economy (hint: Trumka’s proposals don’t include slashing the deficit at the expense of jobs).
Laughing at the News: Comedy Writers Speak
Jon Stewart or Katie Couric? Jay Leno or Charles Gibson? David Letterman or Brian Williams? A growing number of people are choosing Jon, Jay and David as their sources for news while the anchor class and newsmakers are turning up more often on the late night sets and in the skits.
On Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) will explore this change in the public’s news consuming habits and the
growing synergy between Washington, Wall Street, the media, and the late night comedy/variety programs.
